Nationally Acclaimed Architect Unveils ‘Tell All’ Book on the Look of Atlanta

Nationally acclaimed architect Oscar Harris details what went on behind closed doors as he played a key role in shaping the iconic structures that gave the city of Atlanta its look.

In his new book, “Oscar: Memoirs of a Master Architect,” Harris speaks out for the first time about the key role the late Mayor Maynard Jackson, Ambassador Andrew Young and former Mayor Shirley Franklin played in opening the necessary doors for him to make his contribution to what has become a world-class city.

Harris recently hosted a book launch that packed a room with some of the top government and business leaders from across the country.

Harris tells all of his more than forty years of experience in a field where few, particularly African Americans have succeeded. Harris frankly explains how he went from a rambunctious child to a pioneer creator of some of the most prominent works of architecture in the country. Many of the stories are not pretty, but reflect the passion, aspirations and determination of a true artist who turned his creative energies into tangible works of beauty and substance. Harris gives you the behind-the-scenes candor of what it took to make it in an era and a time when African Americans were denied and insulted. He tells how he built his business, Turner Associates, from nothing to perhaps one of the most successful and diverse firms in America.

The architect gives insight into what it took to revitalize Underground Atlanta, re-build major government buildings and justice centers, retail centers, create “the look” of the 1996 Olympic Games and so much more.

But it doesn’t end there. Harris reveals what he envisions for the future and what it is going to take to get us there. He offers revolutionary solutions that are offered with compassion and understanding.